Children's Fountain

Arts and Culture | Downtown

Clarksville is a converging ground for people from many different backgrounds. Lately, city government has strived to continue with a beautification process that gives the diverse citizens of Clarksville a means to connect. The Strawberry Alley Children’s Fountain accomplishes just that, and it enhances downtown with beauty, grandeur and artistic charm.

Placement of the fountain was most likely attributed to a revitalization project in the vicinity of Legion Street, half of which was renamed Strawberry Alley three months prior to the uncovering of the fountain. The contractor involved with the revitalization project solicited proposals from a variety of vendors in order to acquire a fountain. However, all of the initial proposals were declined by the city because they “were fountains like you’d find in every other community.” Eventually, the proposal for this piece came about.

In Nov. 2008, Custom Marble Specialist, a Florida-based company, began the installation of the fountain. Composed of marble and bronze figures, the piece was completed in mid-November and formally unveiled to the citizens of Clarksville on Nov. 25, 2008.

At more than 20' tall and 15' wide, the fountain is a grand piece with a stepped centerpiece that flows down to the large pool at its base. It is adorned with 18 bronze statues of children in playful poses, ranging from a pair of children sharing a ride on a scooter, to a little girl drinking from a water fountain.

The piece expresses the urgency of Clarksville’s need to nurture and care for the community’s children. Most noticeable is a child “wearing a graduation-style mortarboard on his head,” who is sitting “astride a globe at the fountains apex.”

The unique fountain was made possible by a private donation of more than $100K, which covered the cost of construction and placement. At the public unveiling, it was announced Clarksville businessman Jack Turner and his sister, Jill Crow, donated the money in honor of their late father, Ajax Turner.

Turner said, “We do this in honor of a man who was always grateful to the city, who loved this city.”